Where those associated with Western films from around the world are laid to rest.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

RIP Sam Manners

Producer Sam Manners dies at 91

Was Emmy nominated for pair of telepics

By Variety Staff

Sam Manners, an Emmy-nominated producer and production
manager for television and film, died June 1. He was 91.

He began his long career as a production supervisor on
"The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin"; associate producer, production
executive and second unit director on "Naked City"; and associate
producer, executive in charge of production and second unit director on
"Route 66." A little later he was a unit production manager on
"The Wild Wild West."

Manners' feature credits as production manager included
"Billy the Kid vs. Dracula," "Heaven With a Gun,"
"Valdez Is Coming," "Cleopatra Jones" and "The Last
Hard Men." He produced the 1979 feature "Jamaican Gold" and the
1980s film comedies "Mischief" and "Bad Medicine."

By the late 1970s, Manners began to produce a steady
stream of made-for-television movies. These included "Dummy" and
"Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones," both Emmy nominated for
outstanding special. Others included the miniseries "Pearl" as well
as "The Pride of Jesse Hallam," "Divorce Wars: A Love
Story," an adaptation of "Casanova," "Bloodlines: Murder in
the Family," "Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg"
and "Beyond Betrayal." In addition, in the 1990s he produced three
telepics based on "The Waltons": "A Walton Thanksgiving
Reunion," "A Walton Wedding" and "Walton Easter"

Manners even found time for small roles in "Guyana
Tragedy" and "The Pride of Jesse Hallam."

Manners was born Savino Maneri in Cleveland, Ohio. His
son Kim Manners, a producer and director for television, died in 2009.

About Me

Born in Toledo, Ohio in 1946 I have a BA degree in American History from Cal St. Northridge. I've been researching the American West and western films since the early 1980s and visiting filming sites in Spain and the U.S.A. Elected a member of the Spaghetti Western Hall of Fame 2010.